Search

Over the next week to ten days, the Twins will have to make some final decisions on their 40 man roster. There will be some tough decisions.

But before we get started, I should point out that it appears that Juan Morillo will now come off of the Twins 40 man roster as he has signed with a team in Japan. I wrote about that possibility here last week when I could come up with only one reason for his addition to the Twins 40 man roster. It appears that the Twins should have temporarily kept Justin Huber on the 40 man roster too as he is close to signing in Japan as well and the Twins may have got some money for him as well.

Technically the Twins have 40 players on their 40 man roster. However, the Twins five internal free agents will come off of the roster unless the Twins decide to sign one of them quickly. There are (too many) rumors about the Twins talking to Orlando Cabrera about playing 2B. That would be horrible, so we can assume that won’t happen. Right? There is also talk of conversations with Scott Boras regarding Joe Crede. Again, I understand some think that would be a good thing. Personally, I am just not a fan of that idea. Carl Pavano would be a solid #4 type of pitcher and the Twins should consider the idea of bringing him back, if the price is right. However, the assumption is that there will be several teams interested in his services, and hence, he probably would not sign quickly. Ron Mahay would make sense if the Twins didn’t have several other left-handers who could either start or be a second lefty reliever. Mike Redmond is a good guy and a good teammate, but bringing him back makes no sense.

So, I will work under the assumption that all five will be off of the 40 man roster, which would put the Twins at 35.

If you checked out the TwinsCentric Offseason GM Handbook (which is still available as an e-book or a print version), there was an article on the 40 man roster called “Nine to Note.” Information was given on nine players that the Twins should consider adding to the 40 man roster. Of those nine players to consider, two of them (David Winfree and Brock Peterson) were not added to the 40 man roster and can become free agents. The Twins can bring them back if they want, but they will not be added to the 40 man roster. And to this point, the only player added to the Twins 40 man roster was Juan Morillo, who was not even considered among the nine. And now I don’t look quite so dumb!

So, let’s get back to this week. Again, the Twins are likely going to be at 35 players on the 40 man roster. If that is the case, there are four spots available. However, are there others that can be removed from the 40 man roster? Last week, Justin Huber was removed. The Twins tried to take Armando Gabino off of the 40 man roster, but in doing so, he was claimed by the Orioles. So as the Twins make these decisions, they will have to consider a couple of things. If the Twins take the player off of the 40 man roster, would they be lost to another organization? Is the player that would be added better (or a better fit for need) than the one who would be removed?

With that, let’s take a look at a few guys that the Twins could consider removing from the 40 man roster:

Bobby Keppel – in 2009, the Twins saw what Keppel can be. They saw the very good and the saw the very bad, all within his three month stint with the team. Since he is out of options, he would have to make the Twins roster and stay on it, or potentially be lost. With Morillo and Bonser also out of options, and Pat Neshek likely coming back at some point, what are the chances of Keppel making the Twins roster?

Boof Bonser, Jesse Crain and Pat Neshek – All three are arbitration eligible this year. All three have had injuries and missed time in the last couple of years. All three have experienced big league success. And, I am pretty sure that if taken off the 40 man roster, all three of them would be gone.

Glen Perkins – It’s hard to imagine that he will be back with the Twins, but can he be traded?

Drew Butera – Can’t hit. Led International League in Passed Balls, but still known to do a good job of calling games and throwing. Can’t hit. At all. There are a lot of backup catchers around who can throw runners out who will play for $750,000, if the Twins even needed that.

Alexi Casilla, Matt Tolbert, Steve Tolleson, Nick Punto, Trevor Plouffe – They’re all the same. Play a little defense. Play a couple of positions. Hit once in a while, but not necessarily well. How many backup infielders are needed? Obviously Punto and his $4 million deal aren’t going anywhere. Casilla is out of options. Plouffe is at least young. He is probably the only player who would be lost if left unprotected. He would certainly be claimed.

Deibinson Romero – He’s all about the tools, apparently. He’s a big guy, strong. And, the reality is that he hasn’t actually produced much since he was in the rookie leagues. He’s 23 already. The tools are all there. The effort has been questioned.

Luke Hughes – I keep hearing people say that he could be removed. If he is, he would be claimed by the first team who could. He’s not going anywhere.

Jason Pridie – very good defense. Left-handed bat who refuses to walk. Has some pop in his bat. With Carlos Gomez now gone, the Twins need a 5th outfielder who can play all three outfielders, including centerfield. Other option would be to let him go and sign a veteran outfielder who could pinch hit. Pridie does have one more option year left.

OK, so we started at 35. Will the Twins sign any of those five internal free agents before the 40 man roster is set? How many from the current 40 man roster would you remove?

Now let’s consider the players who would have to be added to the 40 man roster or left subject to the Rule 5 draft. Note that if they are not selected in the Rule 5 draft, they would stay in the organization unless they are six year minor league free agents.

The Obvious Additions:

Danny Valencia – Whether everyone considers him the 3B of 2010, or the 3B of the Future, or a possible 3B, he has experienced success at each level including AAA. If left unprotected, he would be gone.

Deolis Guerra – He’s 20. He showed much improved control in 2009. He’s got three potentially big league pitches. He’s had success in AA. Again, this is an easy choice as his potential alone makes him a target for some Rule 5 team.

Alex Burnett – The Rule 5 is about finding players with either high upside and can be hidden on a roster, or about guys who can contribute to any degree with the big league club. Burnett fits into both categories as he could already contribute to a big league team’s bullpen and he has tremendous upside in a bullpen.

Must Strongly Consider:

Loek Van Mil – He’s 7-1, and he throws 95-97. He should probably be in the obvious category too. His strikeout numbers don’t shout out at you, but the stuff does. Tall pitchers take a little longer to develop because they need to find their release point. As an international player, you can assume a longer learning curve too. Adding him to the 40 man roster gives three more years to develop. But again, his pitching angle and the velocity make Van Mil a likely choice.

Rob Delaney – since being signed as a non-drafted free agent out of college in 2006, Delaney has dominated the minor leagues. He gets strikeouts and he walks very few. He struggled some in Rochester, but I think his track record makes him an easy choice. The fact that he could help a big league bullpen today makes him an easy choice. How many bullpen guys will they put on the roster? That’s the only question.

Steve Singleton – Good glove. Can play 2B, 3B and SS. Can hit 2nd in a batting order, or at the bottom of the order. Can hit for average. Is best when he is patient. Has good power for a middle infielder. Lots of doubles and triples. Can play very good defense.

Brian Dinkelman – Put up terrific numbers in New Britain. Doubles machine. He is two years older than Singleton. Played a lot of LF once Singleton promoted to AA. That gives him a better chance of being added. Defense is not spectacular either place, but he does make almost all the plays.

Should at least think about:

Santos Arias – The Dominican righty had a very good year in 2009 in Ft. Myers. Good fastball. Durable. Very good changeup. Has a lot of room to grow.

Winston Marquez – Left-handed. Young. Throws hard. Good slider. Missed 2008 with injury and Twins were patient with him in 2009.

Matt Fox – Again, he could pitch in the big leagues, in the back of a bullpen. He could handle it well mentally. And the former #1 pick has been able to get stronger and better each year since coming back from Tommy John surgery. Also, his cutter is very tough on lefties.

Also, Rene Tosoni, David Bromberg and Anthony Slama do not need to be added to the 40 man roster at this time, so they will not be added.

Again, you’re starting at 35 players. You can take a few more off of the 40 man roster. You could quickly sign some of your internal free agents. You will want to add a bunch. Do you want to fill all 40 roster spots, or do you keep one or two open so that you can take a pick or two in the Rule 5 draft. What do you think? What would you do? Send me an e-mail, or leave your Comments here.

Good morning Twins Fans. Thanks as always for stopping by this site. Normally, I have my Top 50 Twins prospects ready and made in mid-September, shortly following the end of the minor league seasons. So, I apologize for being a little late. But that is alright. I have had more time to give it some thought. Several things have been updated, a player or two signed. So, this is a good time to update my Top 50 Prospect lists. With the TwinsCentric Offseason GM Handbook now available, my attention quickly turns to the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2010. I hope for that book to be available either in late December or early January, certainly before Twins Fest.

There are many purposes for doing a Top 50 prospect list. Will all fifty of these guys make the Twins roster at some point? Of course not. I gave some thought, due to my schedule of late, of just doing a Top 20 list. But I fully believe that all of the minor leaguers deserve to be recognized. They all work incredibly hard to get to where the big leaguers are, so they should be noticed as well. Also, these types of lists are fun because they can create discussion on these players and others. I encourage your thoughts. The Twins do generally build from within, so more than other organizations, these types of lists can provide a little incite into which players can help the Twins out in coming years. With that, in the next days, I will continue to work my way up the Twins prospect list until finally giving you my selections for the Top 10 Twins prospects. I hope you enjoy this and again, please feel free to comment.

(Please note – for the bios/details on each of these players, you will need to go to www.SethSpeaks.net)

So there you have it, my selections for Twins prospects 36-50. Be sure to check back tomorrow for my choices for #21-35, and later in the week, you will also get my Top 20. If you have any feedback, comments, opinions or suggestions, please feel free to Send me an e-mail, or leave your questions or comments here.

Since Pat Neshek was injured in May of 2008, there have been question marks in the Twins bullpen. Plenty of pitchers have been given an opportunity in that role. Some of them have been alright, some have been pretty brutal. All the while, the Twins have had two relief pitching prospects dominating the minor leagues.

Rob Delaney was a non-drafted free agent that the Twins signed in 2006 out of St. John’s University (in NY). He has flown through the system with great strikeout numbers and very low walk rates. In 2008, MILB.com named him the Relief Pitcher of the Year. After 26 games in New Britain this year, he was promoted to AAA Rochester where he has pitched in 26 more games. In Rochester since the beginning of July, he has pitched in 12 games. In 13.2 innings, he has given up ten hit, two walks and struck out 13. The 24 year old appears to be very close.

Anthony Slama was the Twins 39th round draft choice in 2006 out of the University of San Diego. Last year, he was incredible and no one really understands why he stayed in Ft. Myers all season. He had a 1.01 ERA. In 71 innings, he gave up 43 hits, walked 24 and struck out 110! He was named the Twins minor league pitcher of the year for 2008. He moved up to AA New Britain this year and has continued to pitch very well and rack up strikeouts. He is 4-2 with a 2.48 ERA. In 65.1 innings, he has allowed 46 hits, walked 32 and struck out 93. Again, we are asking what he has to do to get promoted.

If you dig deep, you can find a couple of things. First, the walk rate is a little bit high. Second, like Pat Neshek a few years ago, you could look at what left-handed hitters have done against him. This year, right-handed batters are hitting just .129 against him. Left-handed batters are hitting .286, and he has walked a higher percentage. So, there is something, if you really want to nit-pick.

(by the way, I did ask Pat Neshek about Slama in the interview with him last night on the SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins podcast. Listen to the whole show, but for the Slama discussion, go to the 20:00 minute mark. I asked Neshek, in part, because he was 25 years old in AA as well, putting up very similar numbers.)

This morning, I am thrilled to bring another Q&A with a member of the Twins organization. Today, I want to thank Anthony Slama for spending some time answering questions. As you will see, he clearly put some time into his responses!

…Let the Questions Begin!

SethSpeaks: Here we are in the dog days of August. You’ve been throwing every couple of days since March. How is the arm feeling at this point in the season?

Anthony Slama: Thanks Seth for asking, my arm is feeling as strong as ever. I have already tied all of the appearances that I had last year and my arm and body feel like they should at this point in the season.

SethSpeaks: Is there a pitcher that you would compare yourself to, or that you’ve heard others compare yourself to?

Anthony Slama: When I was in college, I had a pitching coach who compared me to Mark Prior, and tried to parallel my mechanics to his. I read all of the Tom House perfect pitching mechanics books and completed the drills to try and use my legs more to push off and keep my shoulders on the same line to the plate, like Mark. Since then, my arm slot dropped naturally to a low three quarters slot but I kept the high leg kick and strong push from the rubber.

I have other pitchers that I like to watch now, but I would say Prior’s dominance during that period was a huge influence on my pitching style as I was developing into a serious pitcher. My mechanics have definitely changed since then though; I am not nearly the same pitcher I was in college.

SethSpeaks: What pitches do you throw, and what would you consider your strikeout pitch?

Anthony Slama: I throw a four-seam fastball, slider, and a circle change. My slider is a strikeout pitch but I have also gotten quite a few swing and miss strikeouts with my fastball on the outer half.

SethSpeaks: Alright, the one tough question that has to be asked… do you feel like you’ve been held back (from earlier promotions) this year or last year?

Anthony Slama: I do not feel I have been held back, I think that the Twins are giving me every chance to develop in the minor leagues. I understand that getting to the major leagues is a process and every day spent in the minor leagues is a learning experience and grinding it out here makes you better. The Twins will promote me when they feel I am ready.

SethSpeaks: Has anyone with the organization talked to you at all about a plan or why you’ve been kept back?

Anthony Slama: I know that the plan is to develop into a quality major league arm. That is the plan for all minor league pitchers. To be able to get outs at the major league level, When the Twins feel that I am ready to be moved up the organization they will let me know. I have confidence that they know the best route to get to the big leagues and be successful.

SethSpeaks: On my site, I’ve said that I think you’re the next guy to be called up, straight from AA, and that it will happen before September 1st. What would that mean for you, to get to the big leagues?

Anthony Slama: It’s been a dream of mine since I was a kid to pitch in the major leagues. It would mean everything to me and my family to get to the big leagues at any time. Thanks for pulling for me! I hope to be there as soon as possible.

SethSpeaks: What are the differences between the Florida State League and the Eastern League (for you as a pitcher)?

Anthony Slama: I have thought about this question a lot. The hitters are smarter, stronger and much more patient in this league. if you make a mistake to these hitters they will not miss it most times. They put a good swing on balls left over the plate and jump on pitches that hang in the strike zone. Lefties especially have been patient with me taking their strikes until they can put the bat on the ball and flip a fastball to the opposite field. This forces you to keep the ball down and attack the strike zone early, not fall behind in counts

SethSpeaks: Do you look at your numbers, or are there any specific statistics that you look at to gauge how you’re doing?

Anthony Slama: I guess I look at my walks and WHIP the most, since keeping them off of the bases is crucial for a reliever. Keep those categories down and it’s a good bet you are going to be successful.

SethSpeaks: Seeing how well you’ve done since being drafted in 2006, is there any explanation for why you lasted until the 39th round, or simply a lot of teams missed? (or same with how Delaney went undrafted that same year?)

Anthony Slama:I don’t know why I went where I did in the draft or how teams passed on Rob. I can’t explain the draft or why some players are drafted higher than others. All I can say is that I am happy to be drafted at all; I still feel it’s an honor.

SethSpeaks: Who are some of the people that you would credit most for getting you to this point in your career?

Anthony Slama: My parents have been supportive since day one. I credit them the most for getting me to this point in my life and my career. I would not be here without my coaches who always did the most to advance my career.

SethSpeaks: You were the Twins minor league pitcher of the year last year and would certainly be in the top 2 or 3 choices again this year. How much did you enjoy your trip to the Twin Cities for Twins Fest, the Diamond Awards and the cold?

Anthony Slama: Thanks Seth, and the trip to Minnesota for the Awards dinner and weekend was one of the highlights of my career so far. I had a blast. It was cool rubbing shoulders with Morneau and Mauer, they’re both great guys and everyone was very nice. The cold was a shock for me. I’m from California and I’ve never been in anything like that. It was something like 10 below when I was there, too cold to do much sightseeing outside. I hope to see more of Minnesota in the summer heat!

A huge thank you to Anthony Slama for taking the time to answer all of these questions. We certainly wish him the best of luck the rest of the 2009 season with the Rockcats and hopefully the Twins! Let me know what you think. Send me an e-mail, or leave your questions or comments for me or Anthony here. Who knows? Maybe Anthony will even read them and reply??? Have a great day!

As I mentioned last night, I spent some time chatting with Twins 3B prospect Danny Valencia last night and he agreed to doing an interactive Q&A with SethSpeaks.net readers. So, if you would like to ask the future Twin a question (or two, or up to 3), please e-mail me and I will send him the questions. I will accept questions until Wednesday night (around 10:00 p.m.).

Rain and a scheduled off day limited the Twins minor league action on Tuesday, and with the Twins game just starting in Oakland, I figured a separate posting for the Twins minor league report made sense. Hopefully tonight’s game won’t be quite as exciting… or at least quite as long! I have learned that sleep is good!

But I thought I would throw in a few (OK, five) Twins minor league topics for you to discuss in the comments section while watching the Twins game.

Untouchable? – In my Star Tribune blog yesterday (Twins Need to Deal), I wrote that the only two Twins minor leaguers that should be untouchable in nearly any trade would be Aaron Hicks and Danny Valencia. Would you add anyone else to that list?

Shut Down? – Since being promoted to AA New Britain, Carlos Gutierrez has thrown 36.1 innings. He has given up 51 hits (including six home runs). He was walked 18 and struck out just 17. He didn’t throw much last season between the University of Miami and Ft. Myers. This year, he did alright at Ft. Myers before struggling with the Rockcats. Since moving to the bullpen, he has given up 15 runs on 19 hits in just 8.1 innings while walking seven and striking out just five. Should he be shut down at this point, maybe given a couple of weeks off, or just keep throwing him out there and working through it?

Arm Chair Psychologists – This is a tough situation because Shooter Hunt clearly is struggling. I have to think that he hit rock bottom with his last outing in which he faced seven batters, walked six of them and hit the other before leaving the game. Hunt as all the talent in the world. I don’t think anyone questions that, but right now, it just isn’t happening. What do you do? Keep throwing him out there? Shut him down? Is there even a right answer?

Pecking Order– Alright, the Twins need a 2B. Alexi Casilla, Nick Punto and Matt Tolbert have all had their chances. So, I’d like to ask you how you would rank the potential Major League impact that the following Twins minor league 2B options could have. Alexi Casilla, Matt Tolbert, Steve Tolleson, Matt Macri, Trevor Plouffe, Brian Dinkelman, and Steve Singleton. Singleton’s .600 start since his recent promotion to New Britain certainly makes you think, doesn’t it? I can’t help but think he may be the guy in the long term.

Upcoming 40 Man Roster Decisions – Every year it is interesting to find out who the Twins add to their 40 man roster. Who needs to be added before the December Rule 5 draft? To keep it general and simple, please drafted out of college in the 2006 draft would have to be added or be potentially lost in the major league portion of the Rule 5 draft. High school players drafted (and many international players signed when they are 16 or 17) in 2005 would also be eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 draft if not protected. Here is a list of several players that will likely have to be added (or at least they will have to consider adding) after this season:

College Players Drafted in 2006:

4th Round – 1B Whit Robbins

6th Round – C Jeff Christy

8th Round – 2B Brian Dinkelman

11th Round – 2B Steve Singleton

14th Round – RHP Jeff Manship

15th Round – OF Mark Dolenc

19th Round – 3B Danny Valencia

39th Round – RHP Anthony Slama

Not Drafted – RHP Rob Delaney (signed as free agent right after the draft)

I would say there are a couple of very easy choices here, and a couple of possible adds, and a couple of probably not’s. Now, when you think of the 2005 draft, the Twins drafted Matt Garza, Kevin Slowey, Brian Duensing and Ryan Mullins in the first three rounds out of college. They did not have as much success (or luck, particularly injury luck) with their early high school picks. Hank Sanchez was really bad and then he served a 50 game suspension for being really bad, and then the Twins released him. Drew Thompson is having a nice comeback after missing two full seasons with injury. Paul Kelly’s knees just have not been able to keep him on the field either. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t a couple of 2005 high school draft picks that the Twins will have to strongly consider adding to the 40 man roster:

High School (and a JuCo Guy) Drafted in 2005:

12th Round – RHP Alex Burnett

32nd Round – RHP David Bromberg

36th Round – OF Rene Tosoni (Junior College)

I think that all three of them have put themselves in a position that they will have to be added. Another player who has performed to a level that he should be considered is RHP Loek Van Mil who is doing great in his comeback from rehabbing his arm. Has David Winfree’s play this year in Rochester earned him a spot on the Twins 40 man roster? Before the season, I think we would have all assumed that Dustin Martin (another 2006 college draftee) would be a lock to be added. Do we still believe that? What about Deolis Guerra? He has struggled, but he signed in July of 2005 and still is just 20 years old and very talented and has done well in his short stint in New Britain. You would think a team like the Nationals would love to take a chance on him.

In other words, the Twins have some difficult decisions ahead of them at the end of the year. Maybe potential deadline trades will help clean up some of the questions, but it certainly is worth thinking about already.

What do you think about any of these topics? What would you do? Leave your comments here.

With that, I’m going to post this. I will be back later with thoughts on Game 2 of this Twins/A’s series.

Tuesday – Ft. Myers 4, Dunedin 6 – Chris Parmelee homered yet again, his 14th on the season, but that was about it for the Miracle offense in this game. Evan Bigley and Nick Romero each doubles. Michael Tarsi took his first FSL loss. He went 6.2 innings and gave up three runs on eight hits. He walked four and struck out five. Henry Arias went the final 2.1 innings. He gave up three runs on four hits and a walk.

SNAPPERS SNIPPETS

Tuesday – Beloit – No Games Scheduled in the Midwest League.

E-TWINS EXTRAS

Tuesday – Elizabethton 2, Princeton 3 – Reggie Williams hit another homer, his third, but it wasn’t enough on this night. Brad Stillings started for the E-Twins and went the first six innings. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on four hits and two walks. Edgar Ibarra took the loss by giving up one run on two hits in two innings. Peter Kennelly pitched a scoreless inning. Josmil Pinto went 2-4 with his eighth double.

GCL TWINS THOUGHTS

Tuesday –GCL Twins 10, GCL Red Sox 6 – There was plenty of offense for the GCL Twins in this game. Daniel Santana went 3-6 with his third triple and two stolen bases. Nick Lockwood went 3-5. Jhonatan Arias went 2-4 with a walk, his fourth double and four RBI. Nick Tindall went 2-4 with his third double. Nick Freitas went 2-3 with two walks. Jhon Garcia went the first five innings and gave up two runs on five hits and two walks. He struck out six. Eliecer Cardenas gave up four runs (3 earned) on five hits and two walks in 2.1 innings. He struck out three. Andrei Lobonov had quite the game to record his second save. He pitched to five batters and struck all five of them out.

After looking at Twins prospects 36-50 Tuesday, and 21-35 yesterday, we will look at my choices for the Twins Prospects 21-35. Again, let me know what you think. On Friday, I will conclude my Twins prospect list with my selections for the Top 10 Twins prospects. For more detail on each of these ten Twins prospects, you will need to go to www.SethSpeaks.net, please feel free to comment.

So there you have it, my selections for Twins prospects 11-20. Be sure to check back tomorrow for my choices for the Top Ten Twins Prospects. If you have any feedback, comments, opinions or suggestions, please feel free to Send me an e-mail, or leave your questions or comments here.

I just heard that Carlos Gutierrez and Alex Burnett have been promoted from Ft. Myers to New Britain. Gutierrez has had a couple of rougher outings of late, but still is one of thebetter pitching prospects in the organization. Burnett has been a starter throughout his career, but this year is working out of the bullpen. He will likely replace Rob Delaney who was promoted to Rochester yesterday. It will be interesting to see whose spot in New Britain’s starting rotation Gutierrez takes.

LaVelle is reporting thatJim Mandelaro is sayingthat Rob Delaney has been promoted to Rochester. Twins prospect fans rejoice! Mike Gosling, who pitched pretty well, exercised an out clause in his contract which allows him to become a free agent. He will likely be signed quickly. I am following up to see what else I can find. Does this mean someone like Spencer Steedley or BlairErickson will move up to New Britain?